Grallagh Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grallagh Castle |
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| Native name Irish: Caisleán na Greallaí |
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| Type | tower house |
| Location | Grallagh, Horse and Jockey, County Tipperary, Ireland |
| Built | c. 1500 |
| Owner | Office of Public Works |
| Official name: Grallagh Castle | |
| Reference no. | 407 |
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Grallagh Castle is an old stone building called a tower house. It is also a National Monument, which means it's a special historic site protected by the government. You can find it in County Tipperary, Ireland.
Contents
Where to Find Grallagh Castle
Grallagh Castle is located about 2.5 kilometers (1½ miles) south of a place called the Horse and Jockey. It sits right next to a bridge over a small river that flows into the River Suir.
The Story of Grallagh Castle
Grallagh Castle was built a long time ago, around the late 1400s or early 1500s. It was connected to a very powerful family known as the Butler dynasty. In 1533, a man named James Butler, 10th Baron of Dunboyne, decided to give the castle to his son, Peter.
Later, in the 1700s, the Mansergh family owned the castle. Today, Grallagh Castle is looked after by the Office of Public Works, which is an Irish government group that takes care of important historical sites.
What Grallagh Castle Looks Like
Grallagh Castle is a four-story tower. It's partly in ruins now, but you can still see its strong walls. The bottom of the tower walls slope outwards, which is called a batter. This design made the castle even stronger and harder for attackers to climb.
Castle Walls and Defenses
Around the main tower, there are still parts of a protective wall called a bawn. About 30 meters (100 feet) of this wall remain.
At the northeast and southwest corners of the castle, you can spot small, round towers sticking out. These are called bartizans. They were used by guards to watch for enemies.
The castle also has a doorway on its west side. Above this doorway, there might have been a murder hole. This was a clever defense where defenders could drop stones or hot liquids on anyone trying to break in.
Inside the Tower House
On the ground floor, you'll find narrow openings in the walls called arrowslits. These allowed archers inside to shoot arrows at attackers while staying safe. The ceiling on this floor is shaped like a half-circle, which is known as a barrel vault. This type of ceiling is very strong.
To get to the upper floors, there's a staircase built right into the thickness of the wall. This is called a mural stairway. On the higher floors, you can see some windows with two lights (two openings) and stone seats built into them. There are also stone sinks, known as slopstones, which were used for washing or disposing of waste.
You can also find a fireplace to keep warm and a garderobe on the upper floors. A garderobe was a very old-fashioned toilet, usually a chute built into the wall that dropped waste outside the castle.
